


Out of the shadows

by EnlacingLines



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Confessions, Fluff, Frottage, Non-binary character, Other, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Smut, non-binary yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25291738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnlacingLines/pseuds/EnlacingLines
Summary: Yuri he has no word of. He doesn’t know how he’d even discover if Yuri is alive, it’s not as if he's tapped into underground networks. He contemplates trying to do so, thinks he might be able to find out, but there is too much going on to give time to whims and fancies.So he reminds himself that Yuri is a fighter, and he himself continues to fight.It aches, though.And it goes on.And on.And on.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc
Comments: 16
Kudos: 50





	Out of the shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone in the fandom: Summer themed goodness!  
> Me: War phase angst and pining, please. 
> 
> Yuriashe have taken my heart, and I do love writing pining. Thank you to MxTicketyBoo for the beta and all the encouragement. This has a much softer ending thanks to them hehe. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Garreg Mach falls in a blaze of tumbling brick and mortar. It burns so high and bright the smoke can be seen for almost a moon, the fires leaking orange into the sky with such ferocity, the villages Ashe passes mutter of omens, retribution and pain. 

He doesn’t much care for these beliefs or hesitations. Ashe has to keep his mind in reality, all of the shattered waste that it is. The first few days are simply running; a retreat that none of his fellow classmates ever thought they’d have to make as the sky turns dark with smoke and ash. 

Once the single minded thought of escape subsides, once it’s clear they will not be immediately captured and dragged off to the Empire (although there are a few near misses), he cannot stop thinking about one immutable fact. 

The monastery they left was half collapsed and burning. It doesn’t bode well for those who lived beneath it. 

In fact, he doesn’t even remember seeing Yuri before the fall, cannot recall the last time he saw them at all. He spends a morning on the back of Sylvain’s horse, who had simply grabbed Ashe and ran when the inevitable fall occurred, scouring his brain for the last interaction they’d had. 

He realises, after having to force his mind in the direction of anything other than ‘keep watch’ or ‘keep going,’ it had been a short, almost nothingness of a conversation. Yuri had appeared, as Yuri did, almost scaring Ashe half to death the first time it had happened, while he was studying in the library. 

“If you jump at shadows, how will you ever be a knight, little bird?” Yuri says, in that tone half tease half serious that Ashe is by now so familiar with. 

“I-it’s not the same! Anyway, it’s late, what are you doing?” he asks, as Yuri walks closer, the candlelight fully illuminating them now, shadows that would normally make a person seem distorted simply accentuating Yuri’s features in a distractedly alluring matter. 

That occurs lately, most of the time. Being distracted by Yuri. 

“Just in the area. Saw you here, what are you working on this late?” they ask. 

“Math,” Ashe says with a grimace, holding up the work they’re both supposed to be completing. 

“Homework? At a time like this?” Yuri asks, and with hindsight, Ashe can agree it was stupid, childish even to be stumbling along with theory when reality closed in, but he had an answer at the time. 

“I suppose it seems useless, but it’s comforting, I suppose. The Professor is still setting work, so doing it helps me feel calm,” he says. 

Yuri doesn’t say anything to that, keeps their gaze affixed at Ashe who thinks he’ll only be able to take so much before he’ll combust, light up and ignite just like the candle before him. But then Yuri shakes their head, and moves forward, leaving a wrapped package on the desk. 

“Don’t work too hard, little bird,” they say, then wanders back into the night, steps quiet and careful as ever. 

Ashe watches them go, then leans forward to take the package. It’s warm; Ashe smiles as he unwraps it, revealing a sweet bun that must have been made recently. He’s not permitted to eat in the library, but at this time of night there’s no one to check. So he bites in, savouring the freshly baked flavour, a moment of indulgence in the midst of stress and fear. 

He can almost taste it now, as they ride in the chill of spring air, riding north towards safer strongholds. Ashe doesn't even think he thanked Yuri for the treat after that; it must have been less than a week later that Edelgard marched her forces upon them. 

It matters little of the past now, though. All they have to do is keep moving forward to relative safety. But every night Ashe cannot help but look back, wondering about what they might have left behind. 

* * *

Yuri is a survivor. If there’s anyone who can escape the monastery, it’s them. This is what Ashe tells himself, even moons later when the news that trickles in day by day is all doom and ruin. 

Dimitri is dead. Their future king is no more. The man who fought with all his might until the end, the classmate who broke more weapons than ever seemed possible, the friend who brought Ashe candy despite his instance not to. 

It seems impossible that such a person is gone. He hears news of most of the others. Felix and Sylvain are leading armies, Ingrid pulling together the remnants of her house in support. He does not know much of Annette and Mercedes, and fears too for Dedue. But some news is better than death nowadays, so he’ll take his hopes and keep them close. 

Yuri he has no word of. He doesn’t know how he’d even discover if Yuri is alive, it’s not as if he's tapped into underground networks. He contemplates trying to do so, thinks he might be able to find out, but there is too much going on to give time to whims and fancies. 

So he reminds himself that Yuri is a fighter, and he himself continues to fight. 

It aches, though. 

And it goes on. 

And on. 

And on. 

Moons pass and every textbook Ashe debated becomes real. Wars are ravaged on places he knows, with his friends on the front line. Villages fall, innocents die and he feels the shreds of carefully placed control he’s constructed after so many years flicker and fracture. 

He’s lost so much, so many. He is angry. He’s tired. And Ashe doesn’t like to dwell on that, does not like to let that strike free as what is the point in holding onto pain? It does not keep him warm, does not keep his siblings fed and does not, in any way, help the situation. 

But he’s tired. So tired of trying to find a bright side in the gloom as over a year of war dawns without a sun. So exhausted of striving forward for measly pieces of success or sparks of happiness that are trampled upon by the raising of a red banner. 

Two years pass and something falls away inside, and he cannot help but think it might have been something crucial, but he does not have the energy to search for the pieces. 

He thinks of Yuri often. He thinks of that candlelight moment and he thinks of other times. Of going to Abyss, of Hapi sneaking him ale in the Wilting Rose Inn, not that anyone would have cared there. That one time he drank slightly too much, not used to, and Yuri stayed with him until he sobered enough to get back to the dorms, walking him there themself. 

He doesn’t even recall what they talked about fully; he remembers Constance in tears of laughter at something he said, Balthus praising his taste in drink, and Hapi smiling much more than usual. 

He remembers Yuri’s hand on his back, holding him steady. Remember Yuri tucking his hair out of his eyes, claiming he needs to see to be able to walk steady. He recalls that touch with too much vibrancy with so many years gone past. 

Perhaps because there is no more to wonder about in this world. No more to cherish, to lie back and imagine when the night falls in. Maybe that is why he misses these tiny moments, these things that could have been. 

* * *

He’s three years into war and two years working in house Rowe before he realises he’s in love with a ghost. 

He walks these halls and recalls Yuri did the same so long ago. He thinks about them more often than not, and it’s an unhealthy obsession he’s taken to living in as things become more desperate with each passing day. 

They are losing. Although the strongholds further north bring news of victory, their own position is not so stable. Ashe has fought more over the past few moons than ever before, and the townsfolk suffer continually. Winter is always tough but resources being priorities to soldiers means many more are growing hungry, the fields stripped of their produce as soon as they can be. Without peace, which is not on the horizon, many more will die. And it’s painful to watch, painful to be part of. 

Realising he is, or was perhaps more accurately, in love with Yuri does not hit with the same force and wondrous nature novels led him to believe. It simply clicks into place one day, that notch in aim, that moment of sudden revelation which connects all past experiences into one meaningful answer. 

Yuri could be alive. The archbishop turned into a dragon, their Professor once ripped the sky in half with their sword; stranger incidents have occurred. He imagines telling Yuri, of them one day just walking out of the shadows as they were wont to do. Yet of course, they do not, for Ashe’s life is not a story no matter how much he still clings to those ideals. 

Then three years become four and the rumblings begin. Ashe sees the way some flee, almost overnight, and the discussions in rooms become serious and shifted. One night, Ashe picks the locks of Lord Rowe’s study, flickers his eyes across parchments and letters, before locking it again, sending one letter himself, waking his siblings, and fleeing immediately. 

Two days later, House Rowe declares allegiance to Emperor Edelgard. And Ashe is once again, on his own. 

* * *

He’s clearly become soft with age, as their weeks on the road are harder than Ashe remembers. Of course, he’s never tried to be on the streets during wartime, but they are somewhat more prepared; with a tent, some supplies and weapons. 

He also has a plan, which is much more than he had at ten years old. Yet day by day his siblings grow quieter and haunted, especially the few times Ashe has been forced to threaten desperate people with a knife. 

His plan is somewhat of a fantastical one. So despite how he feels in the almost five year since he watched his home burn, has not quite lost a part of him that cling to romanticism. The millennium festival is approaching and they once swore to reunite. So that’s what he’s doing. Trekking towards Garrech Mach with a slight detour along the way, hoping to be expected. 

It seems his letter reached; for Ingrid meets him and the absolute joy on seeing her has him gripping her in a hug as soon as she dismounts from her Pegasus. 

“It’s good to see you too, Ashe,” she says, clinging back. 

They part and just stare at one another, taking in the changes. It’s not just her hair, so much shorter now, or her face, much sharper since the sojourn they’ve both taken into adulthood but her entire demeanour is different. Harder, on edge, brittle he supposes. He thinks he is the same, feels his heart echo with it mirrored in another.

Then comes the hard part. His siblings outright refuse to go, but Ashe cannot take them with him to the monastery. He does not know what they’ll face there, and citizens of the Kingdom are being evacuated further north, away from the brunt of the fighting. 

“I’ll write. And you can tell me how cold it really is,” he tries, and they both cry, despite now being almost teenagers themselves. 

They go, though. And so does he. Ashe has little choice, the last two people he has left to protect, and he sends them off with nothing but hope and his love, Ingrid’s soldiers leaving them for their journey up to Garreg Mach. 

Sylvain and Felix meet them but a week later. 

“Oh hey, Ashe, you’re so tall! Look Felix, he's as tall as you now!” Sylvain says, making them stand side by side and Felix looks so utterly furious by the whole affair none of them can stop laughing. 

It’s good, to feel mirth warm bones so frozen over by time. But it does not last. Even as they move their way through the hollow wreckage that is Garreg Mach, their chattering dimming to almost nothing as they walk through the remnants of a place once so beloved to Ashe. 

The marketplace he used favour for supplies, burnt to rotting wood. The place he and Felix would feed cats, now empty except for rubbish. The lane he and Yuri once strolled down-

He swallows against anymore thoughts of potential loss. This place, which could be the tomb of the person he loves echoes with so many ghosts near and far, that as night falls on the eve of what would have been the millennium festival, they each, one by one, draw their weapons. 

“I’ve heard there are thieves in this area,” Sylvain mutters as Felix snorts. 

“Thieves. There’s nothing here to steal,” he says. 

“You would be surprised what desperate people need,” Ashe says, which closes any doubt in that conversation. 

As they get closer, the noises begin. At first they glance between one another but then, too soon it’s clear; a skirmish is up ahead. They quickly make a plan, Ashe darting off to a better position to fight with his bow, breathing in deep as the sound of battle fills his lungs. He steels himself, and then with a heart heavy, joins the fray. 

* * *

The aftermath is a bittersweet reunion and a mourning of those lost. Of Dedue, of Dimitri who has lost himself so deeply Ashe does not know how they can move forward with him, and of others they hear rumours of loss in the years. 

Their Professor is alive though, as are the rest of his classmates, and the monastery is more intact than Ashe expected from the outside. His old room, though, is in tatters, and he grimaces at the remains. Too much to expect everything to be as it was. 

“I kept your things, or those that were left. Just in case.” 

Ashe spins around so fast his world tilts and shifts until he is face to face with the person he’s been thinking of for five years. 

“Yuri,” he breathes, for there they stand in the doorway. Their hair is longer, different, and they too have that air of severity they all have now, having had so much torn away. 

Despite this, and despite his heart always whispering that Yuri has been alive this whole time, it still seems unbelievable. That in all this he’s given a reprise, a person who returns from sinking into the shadows, keeps reappearing time and time again. 

He’s reaching forward before he registers the action, hand coming close to Yuri’s face, hovering, not quite touching as their eyes connect. Then Yuri smiles, and closes in with one step, their own hand coming to push at Ashe’s until he’s cupping Yuri’s face against his hair. 

“Oh, I have missed you. I’m glad you came back, friend,” Yuri says, and Ashe can feel the warmth of them, their reality and steadfastness as they both draw forward, compelled by one another it seems, standing so close Ashe can see the slight colouring to the bridge of Yuri’s nose. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d made it out. Any of you,” Ashe whispers, and Yuri sighs, arm curling around Ashe’s waist which brings him more giddy joy than he knew was possible in such times. 

“Abyss still stands. Better than here, in many cases. Come on, you can’t sleep here,” Yuri says. 

“I don’t want to sleep,” Ashe replies, and as Yuri’s smirk arises Ashe feels his own flush burn through. 

“N-not what I meant,” he stutters but Yuri laughs, and Ashe can feel it against his lips they are so close. 

“Oh really? A slip of the tongue,” Yuri says and Ashe is leaning with that, just has the chance to see Yuri’s eyes flutter shut before they’re kissing.

It’s been a long time since he kissed someone, and the initial shock of touch has him frozen for a moment before his senses kick in and remember what to do. He presses forward, Yuri meeting him and every inch of him sparks up, what he imagines magic must feel like, thumming and building, limbs twitching with the need to be closer.

Yuri kisses deep and with a slowness Ashe could not have imagined, finding he is the one to pull Yuri closer, hurry each pass of air and movement between them, Yuri following every action with swift delight. 

Ashe only breaks away when his lungs begin to burn, and then keeps the contact, resting his forehead against Yuri’s, who leans up to kiss him just once before pulling away completely. 

“Come on, little bird. Although not so little now,” they tease, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the ruin of his old room down a familiar route to Abyss. They do not break the touch, even though at times it’s somewhat awkward, and that sends almost the same shivers down Ashe’s spine that Yuri’s kiss had. 

Abyss is still standing but it’s definitely been hit; some spaces Ashe is sure were robust and now caved in, the people gaunt and injured, but there is an air of happiness, or at least relief that follows them as the two almost rush through to Yuri’s quarters. 

“In a hurry?” Ashe cannot help but tease, and Yuri gives him a look over their shoulder. 

“I’ve waited five years to see if you’d return,” is all Yuri says before they are suddenly in the room, the door shut, and Ashe’s back firmly against it. 

“Here I am,” he says, and Yuri reaches for him, this time their turn to cup Ashe’s face between their palms. 

“Here you are,” they murmur, and this kiss which follows is full of more than just sparks but the lightning crash of a storm, Yuri pouring so much into it that Ashe has to hold onto their neck, so consumed in everything he’s being given, and giving in return. 

They stumble to the bed, Yuri having to throw several books to the floor before pulling Ashe on top of them. Kissing is so much easier here and Ashe takes his time; Yuri’s hands tangling in his hair as everything just gets warmer, better with every shift closer to one another. 

Ashe is aware dimly that he probably needs to say something, talk about what’s happening and so many other things, but that would mean they stop kissing and he’s not quite ready for that. So instead he moves from Yuri’s mouth to their neck, just working downwards, lingering in places and relishing in the fact that they sigh, stretch out and lean into the touch. 

But it’s a jolt of their hips connecting which actually spurs Ashe to stop, to sit up, Yuri frowning as he goes. 

“What’s wrong?” they ask, sitting too and Ashe scrambles for words, mind still a little caught in the reality of their reunion. 

“I just...is this too much? Too fast?” he says, and Yuri blinks, expression working through something between puzzlement and apprehension which has Ashe reaching, gripping Yuri’s hand. 

“It’s not bad if it is,” he says, and Yuri contemplates their hands, running a thumb along Ashe’s skin. 

“What if it’s the opposite?” they reply, smiling in a way that’s small and almost nervous that Ashe’s heart swoops and returns. 

“Then that’s good too. But we don’t have to do...anything,” he says. 

Yuri leans up on their knees, pulling Ashe closer until they’re back to breath’s distance, arms around his neck. 

“I’m aware of that,” Yuri says, as they start trailing kisses across Ashe’s throat so they can whisper in his ear.

“What do you want?” they say, and Ashe cannot comprehend answering that, there is too much to wish for. 

“You,” he says, the truth in all it is. “I thought about you all the time, while I was gone,” he admits as Yuri continues to kiss down his neck, with a hint of bite that has Ashe holding onto to them tightly with every brush of teeth. 

“Hmm,” Yuri hums against his throat and pulls back to look Ashe in the eye. 

“There is a reason why I rescued your things and no one else's. If you haven’t already caught on,” they say with a smirk, and it’s apparently the last admission they’re willing to give right now before pulling Ashe forward. 

It’s enough for now then, when time is fleeting and survival not guaranteed, to push past the gaps in spoken words. Ashe thought previously he wasn’t wearing enough clothes, but it’s proven a frustration when pieces get stuck on his head in haste, Yuri laughing as they undo his clasps Ashe suddenly doesn’t have the motor function to do. 

While he’s fine casting his own garments he takes time undressing Yuri, which seems to frustrate them to no end, but Ashe does not care. He kisses every inch of skin as it’s revealed, learning the places that make Yuri gasp and laugh, until they become demanding in their need to touch back. 

Ashe is down to just his smallclothes before he even has a chance to register it’s happened, but it doesn’t feel embarrassing or daunting; Yuri just surrounds him, making small gasps when Ashe gets a touch or a kiss just right, clings to him in the same manner he clings in return, and it’s  _ warm _ . A comfort of presence and heat that’s building to a point where both are already rutting against one another. 

“Ashe-ah, can I take these off?” Yuri asks, gasping a little as Ashe sucks a spot on their neck that he’s learning has a great effect. 

He releases the skin, though, Yuri’s hand toying with the edge of his smallclothes, looking back at him with wide eyes, blown and wanting, flushed and biting his lip in a way that sends shocks straight into Ashe’s already hardened cock. The implications of taking off the last piece of fabric informs him of exactly how much he hasn’t been paying attention to how hard he is now, and he thickly swallows as Yuri grins. 

“Sit up,” they instruct, and Ashe does, allowing Yuri to shift and direct until he’s the one laying amidst the pillows, Yuri hovering over him, long hair falling down to touch at his collarbones, oddly making him shiver. 

“You’re beautiful,” he says, not really thinking as Yuri again looks surprised. They shake their head, and Ashe stops what he thinks is a denial, reaching up and tucking the hair behind their ear. 

“You are,” he says, and Yuri huffs before leaning over to kiss him, deep and softer than anything else that evening. 

“You are a wonder,” they mutter, then doesn’t give Ashe much time to think of anything other than the sensation of their mouth moving downwards, nipping at his collarbones before moving to his chest. 

His back arches as Yuri tugs at his nipple, a muted spike of pleasure shooting downwards, his gasp surfacing in tandem. Yuri of course catches onto this and is relentless with their actions, Ashe bucking his hips to meet with nothing, and Yuri offers him a smirk before continuing downwards, catching onto the other areas which make him whine and wish for more. 

Yuri gives him one last look before peeling away the final item of clothing. Ashe winces at the cool air meeting overheating skin, a little embarrassed at how plainly his enjoyment of their actions shows. Yuri however, grins then shuffles back, to a point where they must be almost falling off the bed, and nudges at Ashe's legs. 

Ashe swallows, feeling his face heat fiercely, as Yuri moves between his legs, watching him all the while. They keep eye contact as they kiss the inside of Ashe’s thigh and that breaks him, his mouth opening in some sort of expression as his legs shake. Yuri doesn’t give in, though, continuing to just watch for every reaction as they make a pathway towards his cock, every second of contact making him ache. 

“Y-yuri,” he utters as Yuri gets closer just to switches legs, and Ashe wants to both scream and ask them to never stop. 

“Hmm? What is it you want?” they ask, and Ashe throws an arm over his eyes, not sure what to do as Yuri mercilessly taunts. 

“I-I want you-” he cuts off into a half moan as Yuri suddenly grips his cock, hand slick enough as they slowly pull it upwards, meaning they must have licked their own hand while Ashe wasn’t looking, which oddly turns him on almost as much as the slow drag of contact. 

He opens his eyes and feels himself quake at the image of Yuri propped up between his legs, slowly stroking him. 

“Yes? Continue,” they say, and Ashe wonders if he’ll even be able to form sentences let alone a coherent thought. 

“Want you. Keep doing that,” he manages, but Yuri stops instantly, tipping their head to the side as if pondering while Ashe grips the sheets in frustration at the sudden loss of sensation. 

“But what if I want to do something else?” Yuri says, then without another word, leans up and takes Ashe’s cock into his mouth. 

The instantaneous sensation of coursing heat has Ashe fighting to stay still, balling his hands into the sheets until the strain of his muscles prevents him from bucking into Yuri’s mouth. He stares at the ceiling, breath coming in pants as Yuri eases off his cock, tongue circling the head once and causing Ashe to splutter before they dip back down. 

Ashe leans up to watch, jostling Yuri slightly, yet they do not seem to mind, actually stuttering in their rhythm slightly. Ashe pants out a breath, wondering what to do with his hands, wanting to touch Yuri but unsure exactly how to instigate that, so simply loses himself in all the sensation. 

“That feels so good, ah-don’t stop,” he says, trembling slightly as Yuri adds one hand to their actions, pumping Ashe’s length in time with their mouth. It’s a constant barrage of sensation, the slide of their tongue, the occasional vibrations of Yuri’s own moans which echo around the room making Ashe bite his lip each time. It’s better like this, seeing Yuri gain pleasure, hearing them enjoy at the same time Ashe does. 

Their rhythm though is a steady build, and Ashe was already shaking before this began. He curls his hands in the sheets, listening to Yuri moan once as they lift off and something snaps as Yuri’s hand finishes off that particular movement. 

“Yuri, I’m close, so close,” he says, and Yuri blinks, mouth deeply red as they speed up their hand into a sudden brutal rhythm, Ashe crying out as he quickly plunges toward the edge. Yuri surges up, leans over and kisses him hard, Ashe moaning into the messiness of the kiss, finally able to hold them close. 

“Let go, come for me, let me see,” Yuri whispers against his forehead, and it barely takes two more strokes before Ashe obeys, body taut and a cry on his lips that Yuri kisses away, deep and scalding. 

He comes down in stages, muscles finally loosening and kisses becoming more sedate. Ashe pulls away and blinks, eyes heavy, smiling at Yuri who is laying half on top of him, carding his hair out of his eyes. 

“You seemed to enjoy that,” they say, and Ashe laughs, leaning up to kiss them once. 

“I did. Thank you, that was amazing,” he says, and Yuri gives him an odd look at the phrasing which has Ashe laughing and curling closer. 

Yuri shifts, and Ashe’s eyes widen, sitting up slightly. 

“What about you? What do you want?” he asks, moving to Yuri’s neck, that place before which made them shiver so much, now eliciting a cry and a rock of their hips against Ashe’s leg. Ashe’s hands wander to their back, ushering them closer as he kisses their skin, every bit he can reach. 

“Lie back down, hold on,” Yuri says, voice shaking, and Ashe obeys. 

Yuri stumbles off the bed, and roots around in a drawer of a nearby stand before returning with a vial. They remove their own smallclothes as they come back to Ashe, who holds out his arms in waiting. Yuri lands in his lap and Ashe moves their hair from their face, waiting for an answer. 

“Thought I told you to lie back. Keep your legs together for me, hmm?” they say, and Ashe smiles, having an idea where this is going, and watches as Yuri slicks themselves up, and then returns to his arms. 

Yuri exhales shakily with the first slide against him, and Ashe keeps them close, arms around their back, and tenses his thighs as much as possibly, allowing Yuri to thrust against him. The second movement has them moaning, and Ashe winds the other hand into their hair, tipping their face to kiss them deeply. 

He kisses with focus, trying to find the ways and rhythms that Yuri likes, pulling their lip into his mouth which makes them cry out and rub against him erratically, the heat between their bodies uncomfortable and yet everything Ashe wants right now. 

Yuri loses the ability to kiss properly, so Ashe goes back to their neck, whispering at each thrust. 

“You look wonderful like this, I missed you so much,” he says, and Yuri shudders, speeding up. 

“I missed you too,” they say, then moan, and Ashe focuses on keeping them close, moving with them so they get everything they need. 

He can feel it build between them, Yuri’s skin blushing in patches across their body that Ashe kisses with abandonment, until he drags their mouths together and Yuri comes between them, shaking apart in his arms. Ashe can feel himself already rising, wanting more of that feeling, but he’s exhausted and Yuri practically flopped in his arms, panting heavily, head resting in his neck. 

Ashe revels in this for a second, closing his eyes. Yuri’s heartbeat is strong and racing, a slight dampness to their skin where they’re connected, the room humid and somewhat stifling, but it’s good. It’s everything he’s needed, this connection, this proof of Yuri’s survival, the hope he’s clung to for so long finally amounting to something. 

“I don’t want to move,” Yuri mutters into his shoulder and Ashe laughs, kissing their temple. 

“We can stay here for a few minutes before we clean up,” he compromises, as he knows this will soon become uncomfortably disgusting. 

Yuir’s breathing and heartbeat slows, Ashe’s own senses calming with it. Time passes and he allows it, hand idly playing with Yuri’s hair as they both simply exist in each other’s arms. 

“Since your room is ruined, you can stay down here,” Yuri says after minutes or hours, Ashe cannot tell. 

He pauses for a moment before inhaling. “Where down here would you like me to stay?” he asks carefully. 

Yuri takes a second then rolls to the side, both wincing and Ashe’s need to clean up becoming ever more urgent. But he focuses on Yuri, who traces his features for a second; eyebrow, cheek, nose and lips, moving across them before their hand drops down. 

“Depends how tired you are, little bird. We have some spare rooms. Or, I could use a hand getting this place sorted,” Yuri says, and Ashe is charmed at how hard they blush after all this. 

“If you have room for me, I’d be happy to stay with you,” he says, and Yuri looks him in the eyes, something so deep and oddly vulnerable shining through. Then they sit up, grimacing down at themselves and staring around. 

“Best get moving then. It’s late and I need news sheets,” they say and Ashe laughs, lifting up and drawing Yuri back into his chest for a moment, kissing their cheek. 

Yuri goes with him, hands gripping Ashe’s arm slightly, tipping their head back and smiling so widely Ashe feels for a second he cannot breathe. A beat passes but then they simultaneously decide to start moving, washing up best they can to be presentable enough to get to the baths. 

Ashe remembers the way, it’s empty this time of night and he cleans methodically, the days of lounging in hot water long since passed. It is still soothing though, and by the time he’s clean he’s exhausted, changing into clothes Yuri passed him as quickly as he can. As soon as he pulls the simple shirt over his head, he smells Yuri instantly; has to take a moment to revel in the feeling, simmer in the emotions that brings of wearing their clothes, new and strangely moving. 

He rouses himself though and makes it quickly back to Yuri’s rooms. They’ve not returned, although Ashe does not recall passing them, so assumes they’re still bathing. There’s a sudden strike though, deep and crushing, that perhaps Yuri is gone again. Ashe stumbles to the now stripped bed, the fear crawling with needle-like fingers up his throat. 

They’ll be back, it’s fine, just breathe, they’re coming back.

“Ashe? Hey, little bird, what’s wrong?” 

Ashe snaps his head up to see Yuri approaching, a bundle of sheets in hand, hair damp and falling down their shoulders. They fling the sheets haphazardly over before bending down to the floor, hands resting lightly on Ashe’s knees. 

All at once he feels stupid, clingy even, and shakes his head. “Sorry, it’s nothing, I-”

“It’s not nothing, you’re clearly shaken,” Yuri says, and their fingers curling into his thighs is grounding, keeping him in the present rather than tumbling back into the past. 

He still feels somewhat embarrassed, but Ashe inhales, knowing that if he wants this to progress, he’ll need to tell Yuri how he feels. 

“I panicked a little. I thought you might have gone,” he says, feeling his face flame, and Yuri’s eyes close for a moment before they rise and, to Ashe’s surprise, practically fall into his lap. 

He gulps, knowing his face must be crimson by this point, as Yuri curls their arms around Ashe’s neck, forcing him to stare into their eyes. 

“I can’t promise you I’ll stay with you forever. As much as I’d like to. I can promise I’ll tell you when I need to go. And that you’ll always have the option to come with me. Even if you decide not to, I’ll try my hardest to come back to you,” they say, each word clear and heavy, and Ashe exhales, a little shaky, eyes misting but nothing more. 

“Thank you. That helps. And I’ll always be here for you. So you don’t have to do everything alone,” he says, knowing that the reason this place is still standing is more than likely all to do with Yuri. 

Yuri smiles then, and Ashe notices just how exhausted they look. He reaches up, tracing the bruise like colouring under their eyes with one finger. 

“We should make the bed and sleep,” he says, and Yuri nods before pressing a kiss to his lips, sweet and with the perfect pressure, before pulling away. 

Between the two of them, the bed is made fast, and they leave the rest of the room in favour of rest. 

“You were alone a long time, weren’t you?” Yuri asks as they curl into Ashe’s chest, gripping his shirt. 

He kisses the top of Yuri’s slightly damp hair, a movement without thought, and sighs. 

“I suppose. Just my siblings. And you? Were you always here?” he says, even as his eyes droop.

Yuri yawns. “No, not always. I’ve been here solidly for almost a year. But I’ll tell you the rest in the morning. Sleep, my little bird. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Yuri says, before settling into Ashe’s neck, which Ashe doesn’t think is a good sleeping position, but he’s willing to try it. 

The world isn’t put to rights. They are in the midst of war, in the ruins of their homes with a long way to go. But it’s a start, a light at the end of a tunnel so gloomy and dim Ashe has for so long not realised there might be an end. So for now, this is perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/EnlacingL/)


End file.
